Controller



1,634,677 y 1927' F. B. MILLER conwnonwn Filed my 10. 1923 2 Shuts-Sheet1 2 Shanta-Sheet 2 July 1927' F. B. MILLER CONTROLLER Filed July 1d,1923 lA/VE/WWR.

\m m m M 7 finger.

Patented July 5, 1927.

UNITED STAT:

rnnnniarcx BL MILLER, or s'corrnALn,PENNSYLVANIA;

CONTROLLER.

Application filed July 10,

This invention relates to controllers, and while not limited thereto,relates more particularly to controllers adapted to automatica'lly limitthe speed and travel of haulage or hoisting machines, and has for one ofits objects the provision of a novel form of such apparatus, bea'fi'ect-ed by the wearing;- of the parts thereof.

Another object is to provide'an apparatus composed of fewcparts, whichwill be cheap to manufacture, and have a longlife.

A further object is'to provide an apparat us'of the character described,composed of the-novel desigmcoinbination and con-' struction ofpartsherein'after described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

In the draw1ngs- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of apparatusconstructedm" accordance with and taken on the line 1-1 of and showingone of the pawls ofthe nut engaged with one of the stopco'llars.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the actu-' ating cam. I V

Figure 5 is an edge view of the same Figure 6 is an enlarged-sectionalview on the line 66 of Figure 1, showing the gov-- ernor pin in thepathof the actuating cam Figure 7 is an edge view and Figure 8 is a sideview'of one of the pawls of the travelnut.

Figure 9 is an enlarged side elevation,

. partly in section, of the travel nut.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 11 designatesthe bed or base member of the-apparatus, on which is V of power, thespeed of which is to be core secured a p air of spaced side Z 'i journalframe members which are connected at 't-heiryupper ends by a combinedspacing and tie rod 12. e A thread screw 'sha-ft '13 is journaled' inthe frame members 10 and has a sprocket 15 secured to one end adapted tobelfloperatively connected to the 'mac'hine' or source trolled (notshown).

the operation of which will not 1923. Serial No. 650;654. I

v .A traveler nut-17 is threaded on the shaft 18'Iand is adaptedtotravel longitudinally thereof whenathef-shaf't is rotated, and ,stop

collars 16 are mountedadjacent the opposite ends :Of the shaft to,limittlie movement of the nut 17. The-collars 16,. are provided withfiller plugs .44 and set-screws 45 for locking them in @position. f

A 40am shaft 14 is journaled in the frame members 10, at a point below.:the screw shaft 13, and is providedat one end with a cam and at itsother. end with a collar 42 :WhiClI prevent endwise movement of theshaft.

, An actuating member 19is slidably mount- 1 ed onthesha ft 14 and heldagainst rotation relative t0,=the shaft byan actuating finger :21 pivota'lly' secured to the member 19 and projecting downwardly through a slot40 in :the shaft 14. A

'T-he finger 21is provided withia dislclike to. permitfree rockingmovement-of the finger 21 in va direction parallel withthelOngitu'dina-laxis of the shaft 214, Y

' flhemupper face .Ofitllfi actuating member is provided with agpidegroovevor slot 135, the ends not "which are closed. :by stepblocks,.20.if l' ,im

. A guide block or toothi34 ;is secured to the lower face off the nut 17sand-extends into r thelgroove '35, "and is adapted to travel along.thegroove and engage the gstopfblocks 20 as the nut'17 ,islmovedalongtlthe' shaft 13. :W'hen the block ortooth 34 engages the stopblocksQO the unember 19 will be forced to slide along the shaft 14until'athe nut 17 v.has x-en'gaged', the :stop collars :16, and duringthe sliding movement iof the ,member 19, the ffinbearing portion $211adapted to loosely lit 7 ger 2-1 will be moved about its pivot for -apurpose to be described,

The! cam 30 is provided with a depression or crotch 38 which isfittsdyoverrav-roller 37 operatively mounted on the upperjend ofa valvepis'tonafitlwhich is reciprocahly mount- "e d'i ina alvelcasing or body3 1. Ti l e-valve gpiston 36 normally ur'ged, upwardly by a spring 39 soas to hold the roller 37 in engagement with the cam 30.

A switch '32 is operatively connected ,to the lower end of the piston36, whereby operation of the piston 36 will operate both the valve andswitch,

The valve body 31 is provided with ports e3 through which fluid isadmitted to an engine brake (not shown), and .a circuit is completed bythe switch 32, to operate a suitable brake not shown, whereby a'combinedfluid and electric machine or either a fluid or electrically operatedmachine may be controlled b the same as aratus.

"A ball-type governor is mounted on a bearing bracket 'and has 1tsspindle 26 orovided with an inte ral 'ear 26 at its a collar secured tothe spindle 26 of the governor so as to rotate'with the spindle.

A plunger 27 is slidably mounted in the spindle 26' and is connectedwith the stems 22 of the balls 22 by links 28 so as to be reciprocatedas the balls are raised and lowered by the centrifugal force caused bytheir being rotated with the spindle 26 The upper end of the plunger 27is provided with an actuating head .29 adapted to be engaged by thefinger 21 when the plunger is in raised position.

The lower end of the plunger 27 is provided with sectionalcounterweights 33 to provide for adjustment.

The movement of the cam is limited in both directions by the cam stops4141.

The stop collars 16 heretofore referred to, are provided with taperedgrooves 16" in their inner faces adapted to receive the ends ofyieldable pawls 1818 which are carried by the-nut 17. The grooves 16Fterminate in stop shoulders 16* adapted to be engaged by the pawls18-18. The nut 17 is bored out adjacent its top and bottom to receivesleeves 18 and plungers 18. The plungers 18 are backed up by coiledsprings 18 so in en a ement with the awls.

As the nut 17 approaches the end of its travel either direction, one ofthe pawls 18 will enter groove 16 of one of the'collars 16 and, as thecollar is rotated by the screw shaft 13, the pawl 18 will be engaged bythe shoulder'16 of the slot 16 forming a yieldable connection betweenthe collar and nut, so that the nut will turn with the shaft 13sulliciently to cause the block 34 to engage the side of the slot in themember 19 I" and cause the memberlt) and shaft lt to rock, moving thecam 30 to actuate the control'valve and switch. The yieldable connectionformed by the pawl 18 will be sustained due to the pressure of thespring pressed plunger 18 until the cam 30 engages the stop 11, at whichtime the tension of the spring 18 will beov-ercome andthe pawl will moveabout the axis of its pivot and ride past the shoulder 16 to permitslight overrun of the apparatus being controlled. I

The friction of the shaft 14;, the cam 30 and parts actuated thereby, isnormally sufficient to prevent the rotation of the nut 17.

The finger 21 is provided at its lower end with a cam surface 47 adaptedto engage the actuating head- 29 of the plunger 27, when the finger 21is rocked by the operation of tie actuating member 19 when the guideblock 3 1- engages one ofv the-stop blocks 20,

provided the plunger 27 has been upwardly into the path of travel of thefinger 21 by the ball governor as previously described and asillustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings. When the cam surface 17 engagesthe head 29 of the plunger 27 the cam surface 47 will serve to apply arotating force,

, through the finger 21 to the shaft 14, there the shaft 14-, therebyswinging the finger 21 in an arcuate path, due to the fact that themachine is traveling atnormalspeedf However. the plunger 27 will not beraised sufficiently to move the head 29' into the path of the'finger 21.V V

The movement of the nut 17 will'continue along the shaft 13 after theblock lfi tenga ges the member 20 untilthe plunger or pawl 18 enters thegroove 16 of one of the stop collars 16 and is engaged by the stopshoulder 16*, wherebyrthe collar and nut 17 will revolve together.'As'the nut 17 revolves with the shaft 13, the block 3 1 will bearagainst the side wall of theslot 35 so as to rotate or rock the shaft 11 and thereby revolve the cam 30 and actuate the valve plunger 36 andswitch 32. r c

By providing the spring pressed plungers 18, the nut may be readilybacked away from the stop collars 16 by reversing the direction ofrotation of the shaft 13.

If the machine to be controlled is being operated at excessive speed,the governor will elevate the plunger 27 so as to move the'head 29into-the path of the finger 21 so that when the fingerQl is rocked asthe nut 1? approaches the end of its travel, the cam face 4:7 of thefinger 21 will engage the head 29 andcause a rotation of the shaft 14,thereby actuating the cam 30 which will operate the valve plunger 36 andswitch 32 to close the same and, therefore, permit a longer brakingaction before the nut 17 reaches the limit of its movement.

l/Vhile I have shown and described one specific embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limitedthereto, since various modifications and applications of the device maybe made without departing from the scope of my invention as defined inthe appended claims.

I claim 1. A controller comprising a frame, a screw shaft journaled insaid frame and adapted to be operated by the source of power to becontrolled, a cam shaft journaled in said frame, .a traveling nut onsaid screw shaft, means operable by said nut for operating said camshaft under normal speed conditions to limit the operation of saidsource of power, and other means for operating said cam shaft to governthe speed of said source of power.

2. In a controller, a screw shaft, a traveh mg nut on said shaft, stopcollars secured to said shaft adjacent each end thereof, means forforming a yieldable connection between said nut and said collars aftersaid nut has traveled a predetermined distance along said shaft, wherebysaid nut will turnwith said shaft.

3. A controller comprising a frame, a screw shaft journaled in saidframe and adapted. to be operated by the source of power to becontrolled, a cam shaft journaled in said frame, a traveling nut on saidscrew shaft, an actuating member mounted on and movable longitudinallyof said cam shaft, an actuating finger carried by said actuatingmemberand projecting through a slot in said camshaft whereby rotation ofsaid actuating member relative to said shaft is prevented, means on saidnut adapted to cooperate with means on said actuating member forreciprocating said member, a control cam on said rock shaft, a governor,and means operable by said governor at a predetermined speed adapted tocooperate with said actuating finger to rock said rock shaft and actuatesaid control cam.

l. A controller comprising a frame, a

screw shaft journaled in said frame and adapted to be operated by thesource of power to be controlled, a camshaft journaled in said frame,atraveling nut on said screw shaft, .an actuating member mounted on andmovable longitudinally of said cam shaft, an actuatingfinger c'arriedbysaid actuating member and; projecting through a slot in said camshaftwhet'eby rotation of said actuating membersrelative to sa' shaft isprevented, means on sail; nut adapted to cooperate. with means onsaidactuating member for reciprocating said member, a control cam onsaid rock shaft, a governor, and means operable by said governor at apredetermined speed adapted to cooperate with said actuating finger torock said rock shaft and actuate said control cam, .and

means operable by said cam for controlling the speed of the'source ofpower being controlled.

5. A controller comprising a frame, a screw shaft journaled in saidframe and adaptedto be operated by the source of power to be controlled,a cam shaftjournaled in said frame, a, traveling nut on said screwshaft, an actuating member mounted on and movable longitudinally of saidcam shaft, means for preventing rotation of said actuating memberrelative to said cam shaft, means operatively connecting said nut andactuating member, a control cam on said cam shaft, and means for forminga yieldable connection between said screw shaft and said nut as said nutapproaches the end of its travel, whereby said nut will turn with i.

said screw shaft and cause said rock shaft to be rocked so as to actuatesaid control cam.

6 A controller comprising a frame, .a screw shaft journaled in saidframe and adapted to beop'erated by the source of power to becontrolled, a. cam shaft journaled in said frame, a traveling nut onsaid screw shaft, an actuating member mounted on and movablelongitudinally of said cam shaft, means for preventing rotation of saidactuating member relative to said cam shaft, means operativelyconnecting said nut and actuating member, a control cam on said camshaft, and means for forming a yieldable connection between said nut andsaid screw shaft as said nut approaches the end of its travel, wherebysaid nutwill turn with said screw shaft and cause saidrock shaft to berocked so as to actuate said control cam.

7. A controller comprising a frame, a screw shaft journaled in saidframe, means for rotating said shaft, a traveling nut on said screwshaft, a pair of stop collars mounted on said screw shaft, said nutbeing adapted to travel longitudinally of said screw shaft, means forforming a yieldable connection between said nut and either of saidcollars as said nut approaches the limit of its travel so as to causesaid nut to turn with said shaft, a cam shaft journaled in said framebelow said screw shaft, an actuating member mounted on said cam shaft,means for preventing rotation of said actuating member relative to saidcamshaft, means forming a sliding connection between said suificientfrictionvto prevent the turning of traveling nut and said actuatingmember said cam shaft by said nut under normal con- Whereby said nut isnormally held against ditions and until said yieldable connection Wrotation, a control cam on said cam shaft, is formed between said nutand-one of said and control mechanism operable by said collars. V

cam, said cam shaft, control cam, and con- In testimony whereof I ailixmy signature. trol mechanism being adapted to provide F REDERIOK B.MILLER.

